The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
At some point and time, virtually every residential and/or commercial building will encounter an issue that requires a user to repair drywall. In many instances, the need will arise from unintentional damage caused to a wall or other surface. In many other instances, users need to remove a portion of the sheetrock in order to access one or more components located within the walls of the building. Whether it is an electrical junction box, a plumbing line or an HVAC component, the fact remains that the drywall must be removed before the same can be accessed.
Although the process of cutting and removing the drywall is relatively simple and does not require specialized tools or knowledge, the same is not true for repairing the wall upon completion of the task. As such, the sheetrock repair industry has been unable to provide a reliable wall repair system and method that are simple, fast, and strong. Traditional wall repair systems, for example, include a myriad of supplies and equipment that must be used to repair even small wall holes. Specifically, a typical drywall repair kit includes a curable, setting-type repair compound (or “mud”), drywall tape, sandpaper, a compound spreader, a cutting tool, a mixing tray, a mixing stick, sheetrock replacement panels, and more. Nearly all of these tools and supplies are required to complete even a relatively minor drywall repair job.
Moreover, the traditional wall repair methods that use these systems are difficult and time-consuming. This is because the traditional approach to repairing holes in sheetrock walls requires a series of fairly complex steps. Specifically, the traditional approach for repairing drywall damage begins by mixing the repair compound. Next, the user must prepare a hole cover out of a sheet of replacement sheetrock that is cut to a size that exactly matches the hole and/or must cut a porous wall patch or strips of drywall tape to be placed over the hole. The curable repair compound is then applied to the damaged wall area over the new drywall piece, the porous wall patch and/or drywall tape. Once the repair compound is applied, it must be allowed to cure.
Unfortunately, even fast-curing repair compounds take approximately between 60-90 minutes to cure. Other repair compounds may take a day or more to cure. After the compound cures, the repaired area must be sanded flush with the rest of the wall. Following sanding, a texture coat must be applied to the repaired area to match the texture of the surrounding wall area. Finally, once the texture coat has dried, the repaired area is painted to match the color of the surrounding wall area.
Although more recent efforts have seen the introduction of pre-mixed patches which can be adhered over the drywall hole, such items have met with limited commercial success because the lightweight structure of such patches often results in the same becoming indented or damaged with the lightest of contact. Moreover, such systems do not allow a user to repeatedly access the drywall opening, as may be the case in instances where periodic maintenance and/or recurring problems occur. As such, the user must repeat the laborious steps described above each time the need to access the opening are required.
The present invention, directed to a magnetic fastener and wall covering system differs from the conventional art in a number of aspects. The manner by which will become more apparent in the description which follows, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.